My 4-year-old son has developed an allergy in his eyes. He constantly keeps rubbing his eyes and gets a discharge from both eyes. He has been taking medicines for months but it has not helped. His eyes lack brightness too. — Preeti

Dr KPS Malik, Head of Opthalmology, Safdarjung Hospital, says:

These are symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis, a self-limiting disease. The key thing is not to use steroids. The disease gets cured by the time the child is 14 years old. The color of his eyes will remain dusky but that doesn’t affect vision. Even though steroids cure the duskiness, it can lead to cataract formation in the long run. Also, do not put any medicine without consulting a specialist.

* I am 52 and get frequent headaches, especially in the evenings. I have a family history of glaucoma. Should I get it checked? — Vijay

Dr Malik says: Glaucoma runs in families. If you get headaches in the evenings, you must go and get it checked. If a person keeps changing his glasses frequently, it might make him/her vulnerable to glaucoma. The best thing is to get it check immediately and do as your doctor says.